RE: [compost_tea] fungi activity

From: John Cowan <vivax_at_northlink.com>
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 08:46:13 -0700

Paulette,

Why are you adjusting soil chemistry with sulfur? If you mean pH, this is
misguided (sorry!). I live in the Southwest and have looked into this
closely as sulfur and other sulfur materials are used commonly. As sulfur is
oxidized, intermediate sulfur compounds like sulfides and sulfites are
created. They are very hard on microbes and toxic at just a few ppm. Sulfate
is much less toxic but it seems, according to Elaine, that even commonly
desirable/acceptable levels are too high for some beneficial fungi.

John Cowan

-----Original Message-----
From: Paulette Mouchet [mailto:geomouchet_at_QNET.COM]
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 6:00 PM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: [compost_tea] fungi activity


I know that most soil critters are fairly inactive in the winter. However,
fungi are active and play an important role in moving nutrients into plants
during the cold months.

At what temperature range are fungi most active? What temps are they least
active?

Where I'm going with this is, if you have to apply soil sulfur to adjust
your soil chemistry, when is a better time to do it biology-wise? I'm
thinking the heat of summer because fungi, which would be most affected by
the sulfur, are probably least active when it's really hot; and during the
summer other soil organisms are active and can take up some of the slack if
some fungi are killed by the sulfur.

Comments?

Paulette






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Received on Tue Jan 13 2004 - 11:09:55 EST

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